Since the first satellite, Sputnik, was launched in 1957, thousands of additional satellites have been launched into space, but only about 10% of these satellites are currently active. Therefore, the earth is being orbited by a huge number of non-functional satellites, discarded rocket stages, and fragments formed from explosions or collisions with other spacecraft. It is estimated that over 40% of the debris objects in space have diameters less than 3 cm, yet such small objects can create significant impact damage to other satellites. Orbiting space debris is becoming an increasing problem for spacecraft operators.
The United States Space Surveillance Network tracks and catalogs any space debris larger than 5-10 cm in low earth orbit (within 2,000 km of earth's surface), and any space debris larger than 30 cm to 1 meter in the geostationary ring (about 35,800 km above the earth). There are currently over 11 space agencies around the world trying to address the problem of space debris. The agencies are addressing the problem, on one hand, by attempting to limit the space debris population growth, by limiting the number of objects that are launched into space, and, on the other hand, by taking steps to insure that the objects launched do not explode or collide with other objects to create more debris.
Databases have been developed to catalog breakup events and known space debris. Furthermore, sophisticated models exist for predicting the risk of debris collisions with other spacecraft. The models provide detailed risk assessments as a function of time, and the results are generally presented in tabular form. However, a need remains for improved systems and methods for visualizing space debris events.